By Graig Carbino - ALBANY, NY (Aug 19, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- The English Premier League kicked off in earnest last weekend with teams all across the country even on points for the only time this season. Mid-August is always the opportunity for optimism to abound for any team. Sure, your club might be patiently waiting to disappoint, but they haven't actually gone and done it yet.
Reality tends to kick in after the first few weeks and it does not take long for things to shake out with the “big four” taking their proper place and the other also-rans scattering through the rest of the table.
What have we learned after the opening weekend of games? In truth, probably not all that much. Liverpool’s loss to Tottenham on day one notwithstanding, most of the other results went as you might expect. You might be thinking Arsenal’s demolition of Everton could be considered a shock. I’d argue that it could have been more. If Lescott leaves and Arteta and Yakubu don’t come back healthy it will be a LONG season on Merseyside.
That’s a story for another day though, because the Toffees should have enough to push through into the top eight or so. No, the biggest concern on day one should surround Aston Villa.
This is a team that could go from top six to survival mode in the matter of one season. Don’t believe me? A lot has happened from the end of last season until this August. England international Gareth Barry finally gets his long awaited exit from Villa and takes a ton of money from Manchester City. To be honest, Barry leaving is a blow to Villa but not a surprise and not a death blow to their aspirations.
Look, he didn’t want to be there anymore. That does not mean that he didn’t play hard last year or give everything that he had in helping Aston Villa to sixth in 2008-09. He's a professional, and one making it clear that his professional future would be spent elsewhere. Barry transferred in June with plenty of time left in the Summer to find his replacement. The problem here is that Martin O’Neill and the Villa hierarchy never actually signed that alternative.The funds from the sale of Barry were used in July to bring in Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough. Sorry, but that is a crime. Don’t get me wrong, Downing is ok, but £12,000,000? Really? Call me what you will but if he weren’t English he wouldn’t be worth a quarter of that fee. He is also no replacement for Barry down the middle. Mark it down right now, Downing is the bust of the season in the EPL.
Moving on from that poor move, Villa sends Zat Knight to Bolton and Stuart Taylor to Man City. The Taylor move is fine as Brad Guzan is a solid number two in goal behind compatriot Brad Friedel. Letting Knight leave was somewhat of a surprise as the retirement of Martin Laursen has left Villa very thin in the back.
I’ve never been the biggest Zat Knight supporter going back to his time with Fulham. He is and should probably always be a decent backup, but that is sort of what Aston Villa need in the back. The recent signing of Habib Beye from Newcastle should help, but is he really an upgrade over Knight? Maybe, but that isn’t good enough for a team in Europe this season.
This brings us to Fabian Delph. The 19 year-old “superstar” was brought in from Leeds earlier this month and is seen as the successor to Gareth Barry down the middle for Villa. Maybe someday folks, but not right now is all I can say.
You don’t go from League One to the Premier League and attain immediate success. You especially do not do it as a teenager. From what most observers say, Delph is going to be a really good player. The problem is that his transformation isn’t going to happen tomorrow. It probably won’t happen this season even. He is going to need time to adapt to life in the Prem and will certainly have some growing pains. Can Villa really afford that right now?
Martin O’Neill has always been known for using limited numbers in his squads throughout his managerial career. Last season Villa used 17 players in the Premier League. 17 Players! 38 games and they shuffled through 17 players. Most teams used 23-27 different players in the league campaign with some utilizing over 30 different faces.
Say what you want about squad size and player rotation. If your team is settled and you win games fine. Still, Villa won only twice in the final two months of last season with those 17 players. Maybe, just maybe, a couple of those guys could have used a rest from time to time. As it stands, they're setting themselves up for a long season and a lot of expectations when the transfer window opens in January.
All teams - even those big four - have their ups and downs. The worry here is that ultimately Villa's lack of movement over the Summer will see them go from a nice story last season to a disaster this term. Can a team really go from high-flying up and comer to hanging on for dear life in all of 12 months? Aston Villa just might.
Graig Carbino covers American Abroad and writes a weekly column for USSoccerPlayers. Contact him at graiger11@yahoo.com
